Stomach Noises...HELP!
Hey Everyone,
Long time reader, first time posting.
I am posting this not only asking for help, but also to help anyone suffering from the same problem. If you suffer from the same problem skip to the bottom of the post for possible cures. Reading my story might help, but we might not be suffering from the same cause to our problem.
Just FYI the noises come from trapped gas in your system. Nothing else I'm aware of can cause it. The question is what is causing the excess gas? The small intestine has less bacteria than the large, thus produces less gas. What little gas it does produce tends to be absorbed by the small intestine. This is good cause the small intestine contracts a lot. The large intestine produces gas for everyone. The problem, I believe, is when the gas is produced in an awkward manner where it is trapped in the stool. When it is moved by the intestine it causes sounds as it escapes.
This is an embarrassing problem that may or maybe be parasites related. I feel the post is best here, as I think people see odd things in their stool (like I did) and jump to the conclusion that parasties are causing their problems. It maybe, but please keep an open mind.
After 2 years of researching online trying to fix myself though i would ask for some help or atleast some ideas. So here is my story.
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3 years ago
About 3 years ago I noticed stomach noises while sitting in my office. They were pretty quiet at first, but I could hear it and I think my coworkers could too. Over the months they got worst. Usually I would goto the restroom which would help the situation. It seems like I had gas that was trapped in my stool. I assume that was making the noises. Noises only came when I was sitting though....
It really seemed to be coming from the lower part of my large intestine as I felt movement from the gas down below.
So I tried everything I could find help online. I used anything and everything: probiotics (threelax, PB8, anything with a good review from amazon), kefir, oxygen digestive system cleaners?!? (I don't think they are good for you), pepto bismol, teas to get rid of stress, peppermint to relax the gut, got regular massages for stress, and other odd, unusual things. Nothing seemed to work.
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2 years ago
I gave up and saw a gastrologist. Had a colonoscopy (biopsy was neg for infection), endoscopy for my stomach (H. Pylori test came back negative), stool test for parasites, ultrasound, and some blood tests done. Everything came up negative except for one high liver enzyme and the ultrasound could not see into my liver which might indicate a fatty liver. I think the doctor got tired of me and tried to tell me it was heart burn that stayed in the stomach instead of going to the esophagus and tried giving me antacids.
In the middle of this, I thought I was cured. First procedure was the colonscopy. The stuff they give you before the colonscopy cleans you out! And I cut out all sugars (fruits too) and as long as I ate regularlly, no sounds. I was cured for a month or two. Then suddenly laying on my bed at night I had HUGE sounds. But this time from my stomach area....That when I went back to the doctor to do the other procedures. I also started to notice them from my lower intestines like before.
The noises continued to get worst and now would even come when I was standing....but only rarely
For half a year, I gave up and just learned to live with it. :(
I then started to develope slight pain in my stomach area.
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About 6 months ago
Then I came across curezone and thought "hey maybe it is parasties!"
I started a supplement with the cloves, black walnut, and wormwood. Started to include antiparasitic foods in my diet (raw garlic, cayenne pepper, gloves, crushed papaya seeds, pumpkin seeds, goldenseal, oil of oregano, peppermint oil, etc). First time taking the C, BW, & WW supplement I heard sounds and movement when I was standing up...which had been a first in a long time. The parasites must be running away!!! :) ...so I thought
After a month or two things got better and I no longer had sounds when I was standing up or laying on my bed. I did still get sounds when sitting working at my computer. I would say I was 60-70% better.
I looked in my stool and found what I thought were intestinal flukes. YES THAT MUST BE IT I THOUGHT. Maybe that was it after all they never did an endoscope of my small intestine and could not see into my liver. Only now I really think it was partly digested food. And I don't think flukes will necessarily cause excess gas in your system.
I also did a few liver flushes....but nothing came out. I did start to have a slight pain on the upper right side now.
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Today.
I cut down to the herbs that seem to work the best (raw garlic, cayenne pepper, and oil of oregano). Eventually I stopped taking the oil of oregano and then the garlic and cayenne (it is so tiring having to eat that stuff all the time) pretty recently. I still used hot sauce (cayenne pepper) on almost everything i eat now. I seem to be about 80% better, but I can tell with time it'll eventually get back how it was if I don't start doing the herbs again.
I sat at an office interview and the noises came back towards the end (around 4 hours into it). I realized I'm probably back to 3 years ago. Meaning I'll still have embarassing noises, only this time I have slight pains in the area. I left my last job because of the sounds. I want to be cured before starting this one....but my money is tight.
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Right now I'm in two schools of thought as to what is causing the problems.
#1. It has always been an infection of the large intestine
The infection has been working its way from the anus to the rest of the intestine with sounds/pain coming from the corners. See the picture below. Where it bends is right next to the stomach and liver/bile duct opening (the two spots where I've been having noises/pain).
I thinking it may be Dientamoeba fragilis. One sign is the undigested food sound in the stool. Problem is the undigested food didn't really show until I started taking the herbs (I know for a fact garlic can kill bad and good bacteria. It was shown to kill the good bacteria of probiotics when taken together). Maybe all the missing bacteria in my small intestine is causing my undigested food and has nothing to do with all my noises? ...I don't know...
And if Dientamoeba fragilis is an infection of the large intestine then how does that cause undigested food. Shouldn't all food be digested before it hits the large intestine?
Here is a good site for Dientamoeba fragilis which suggests Iodoquinol to be the only drug that works more than not.
#2 The pain/noises are coming from my stomach and liver/bile duct area.
My assumption here is something is causing my pancreas from producing enzymes/alkaline materials and my liver from giving bile to my intestines to help break down my food better. Then the undigested food goes to my large intestine which the bacteria produces excess gas with. I think my stomach is producing enough stomach acid as the few times I threw up (unrelated) the content have been very acidic. But if pain/noises are coming from my stomach (instead of my large intestine) I still can't figure out an explanation.
This would go back to my liver enzymes being high and the ultrasound not being able to see into it. I know garlic helps to detox the liver....so maybe that is why it helped.
Like I said I did a liver flush without results.
I doubt #2 this is what it is. I would have to go with the first explanation I gave.
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Recap of problems
-Currently stomach noises (especially when sitting for a long time)
-No particular food seems to cause it (sugars do seem to make it worst...but not that much worst)
-Food in stool on every bowel movement (did not start that way till I started taking herbs)
-Stool can be light (rarely whiteish) or yellow at times, but mostly normal color besides the food in it
-Stool can float at times. usually just a small piece or two.
-Later had pains (but not at the start) in the stomach area (upper left) and much later in the liver area (upper right). Wondering if it is all in my large intestine. See picture above.
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Possible Cures for stomach noises
99% of the people posting on the internet say they have found no cure. Here are the 1% of people who have found cures (not lifestyle changes to fix it) on the internet.
1.)
One woman found it to be a bacterial infection of the colon this was found from a colonoscopy. Antibiotics cleared her symptons. Specific antibiotics are given in the post.
2.)
Here is a blogger who solved his stomach problems by taking a strict gluten and sugar free diet for two months with other things (oil of oregano, coconut, and oil leaf extract).
3.)
One person said he got his teeth cleaned in India and started to have noises. Doctor said he heard of this before and gave ULCIKIT which sounds like it cured him.
ULCIKITs (used for stomach ulcers and Helicobacter pylori) are popular in India and have the three pills taken daily in more or less this amount. Tinidazole500 mg, Amoxycillin 750 mg, Omeprazole 20mg. I believe it is two antibiotics and one antacid.
Don't waste your time listening to people who have never had this problem before. They think they know but they have no idea. They'll say dumb things like, "eat something silly, try ginger ale, add probiotics, drink some soothing tea, have olive oil in the morning, it is just stress, its a good thing means your system is working, etc." And then I love the people who look up the medicial term on some health site and posts it in like he is an expert and that just solved all your problems. ...do I sound frustrated? :p
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If I did it all over again....
I'm in a bad financial situation since I left my job because of my stomach noises. If I wasn't I would do a lot more testing and try different medicine. In hindsight, if I did it all over again I would have done every test imaginable...
Go to a gastrologiest right away NOT a holistic doctor. I've never had a good holistic doctor. They try to push you on their regement and crappy products (just goto amazon for the best stuff).
Look at reviews online for a good gastrologist. Most important you need one with a good bedside manner. You'll see why next.
At the gastrologist push to have all the test and examinations done all at once. My gastrologist would do a colonoscopy first which I had to wait a month to do, then another month just to get back into his office for the results (so frustrating). You need to be AGGRESSIVE and push for all the test at once. If not you'll be "diagnosed" over a year while you suffer the embarassment. There maybe several reasons for your noise, thus you need different tests. Doctor's with a good beside manner tend to let you do what you want. If they won't, then LEAVE. This is your health! Find a doctor willing to do the tests.
I would push for the following test right away.
-Colonoscopy
-Endoscopy of the stomach (try to do a place that will do the small intestine as well so you can rule out multicell parasites) Have them test for H. Pylori in the stomach
-Breath test for Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
-Ultrasound of your liver
-Stool Test for parasites
-Blood work for liver enzyme levels
If you have health insurance and a steady income, they aren't that expensive at all. And it is your health so why on earth not?
On your own go online to Great Smokies Lab in North Carolina's website (now Genova) and I would go with the following tests:
You have to get the tests through a practioner (so you may end up going to a holisitc doctor anyways, ha). But now you'll have results in hand you can read.
You can get false negatives with parasites and infections. So you want the cutting edge testing (Genova) and not just rely on your doctor's tests.
Do Test. Don't try to fix yourself blindly.
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So my plan is to try the #2 blogger's cure mentioned (look at #1 my colonoscopy came out negative, and #3 my stomach came out negative for H. Pylori) as the only time my symptons got better was when I was doing anti-parasite supplements/diet which is simlar to his treatment. I plan on cutting out carbohyrates completely and eat certain foods mentioned in this post:
curezone.com/forums/am.asp
The next step is getting the Genova test done. This one specifically: GI Effects Microbial Ecology Profile. Anyone know about the cost? I am tempted to just get the Iodoquinol assuming I have Dientamoeba fragilis....but I should know better than try to treat without testing.
The problem is I am low on funds...I have to work to get money, but then I might be made fun of because of my noises.... :(
I would like to know what you guys would do in my situation.
Thanks! and I hope my post helps someone else in my situation.